Researchers at OHSU’s School of Dentistry have recently been awarded two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling almost $3 million to study new materials for making longer-lasting dental composites, more commonly known as dental fillings.

One study, led by Carmem Pfeifer, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of biomaterials and biomechanics, and Jack Ferracane, Ph.D., chair and professor of restorative dentistry, will explore novel compounds with the goal of doubling the six-or-seven-year lifespan of current dental composites. The study, “Tertiary Methacrylamides and Thiourethane Additives as Novel Dental Composites,” was highlighted in an NIH press release last month.

The second study, also lead by Dr. Pfeifer, will give dental students hands on experience in formulating, characterizing, and testing dental composites.